This application claims all benefits accruing under Paris Convention from the Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-172516, filed Jun. 8, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular seat system in which a seat in the second row can be moved to the vicinity of a front seat and to the vicinity of a rearmost seat.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there has publicly been known a motor vehicle, such as a minivan, in which seats of three or more rows are provided, and the arrangement of each seat can be changed freely or a walk-through is provided between seats of each row to facilitate movement from a front seat to a rear seat.
Also, there has publicly been known a seat system in which by folding a passenger seat of the front seat, the second-row seat can be moved to the vicinity of a driver seat to facilitate communication between a driver and a passenger on the second-row seat.
On a vehicle having seats of three or more rows, such as a minivan, an infant is often seated on a seat in the second or rearward row for safety. Conventionally, however, there has been only a seat system in which the second-row seat can be moved to the vicinity of the driver seat, or in which the front passenger seat can be moved to the vicinity of the second-row seat. In the case where, for example, infants seated on a plurality of seats in the second and rearward rows are taken care of and are communicated with, therefore, a passenger must move in a cabin by utilizing the walk-through, so that it is difficult to take care of and communicate with infants during the running of the vehicle.
The present invention has been made to solve the problems with the related art, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a vehicular seat system in which a seat in the second row can be moved to the vicinity of a front seat and to the vicinity of the rearmost seat in order for a passenger to easily take care of infants seated on the seats in the second and rearward rows and to easily communicate with a driver and infants.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicular seat system provided with seats of at least three rows of a front seat, a second-row seat, and a rearmost seat, in which the second-row seat and the rearmost seat are divided into a first seat and a second seat, the second seat of the rearmost seat is configured so as to be capable of being folded, and the second seat of the second-row seat is configured so as to be capable of being moved to the vicinity of the first seat of the rearmost seat.
According to the above-described configuration, infants seated on the first seat of the second-row seat and the first seat of the rearmost seat can easily be taken care of and communicated with.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicular seat system provided with seats of at least three rows of a front seat, a second-row seat, and a rearmost seat, in which the front seat is divided into a driver seat and a front passenger seat, the second-row seat and the rearmost seat are divided into a first seat and a second seat, and the front passenger seat and the second seat of the rearmost seat are configured so as to be foldable so that the second seat of the second-row seat may be moved to the vicinity of the driver seat and to the vicinity of the first seat of the rearmost seat.
According to the above-described configuration, infants seated on the first seat of the second-row seat and the first seat of the rearmost seat can easily be taken care of and communicated with. Also, by moving the second seat of the second-row seat to the vicinity of the driver seat, communication with a driver can be provided easily.
To achieve the above object, in the vehicular seat system in accordance with the present invention, a seat storage chamber capable of storing either or both of the divided first and second seats is provided behind the rearmost seat.
According to the above-described configuration, the second seat of the rearmost seat can be folded and stored in the seat storage chamber, so that the second seat of the second-row seat does not interfere with the second seat of the rearmost seat. Also, the first and second seats of the rearmost seat can be stored in the seat storage chamber, so that a wide luggage room can be formed at the rear part of the vehicle, and thus a large piece of luggage can be stored easily.
To achieve the above object, in the vehicular seat system in accordance with the present invention, a base plate of a size such as to be capable of covering an opening of the seat storage chamber is provided on a floor under the rearmost seat, the rear end of the base plate is hingedly fixed to a position near the front part of the seat storage chamber, the first seat of the rearmost seat is fixed onto the base plate, and the second seat is pivotally fixed to the rear part of the base plate by means of pins.
According to the above-described configuration, by turning the base plate rearward around the hinges to store the first and second seats of the rearmost seat in the seat storage chamber, the base plate covers the opening of the seat storage chamber, so that a luggage room substantially flush with the floor can be provided. Thereby, luggage can be put in and taken out of the luggage room easily. Also, if the second seat of the rearmost seat is stored in the seat storage chamber, the bottom surface of the seat cushion of the stored second seat is substantially flush with the floor, so that a long piece of luggage can be stored easily.
To achieve the above object, in the vehicular seat system in accordance with the present invention, guide rails for movably supporting the second seat of the second-row seat are laid on the floor, and the guide rails are inclined with respect to the running direction of the vehicle so that the front ends thereof are shifted toward the vehicle side and the rear ends thereof are shifted toward the vehicle center.
According to the above-described configuration, the second seat of the second-row seat can be moved smoothly in the longitudinal direction along the guide rails. If the second seat of the second-row seat is moved rearward, it can come closer to the first seat of the rearmost seat. Thereby, the infant seated on the first seat of the rearmost seat can easily be taken care of and communicated with, and also the second seat of the second-row seat can be prevented from interfering with the tire house located at the side of the second seat of the rearmost seat.
Also, if the second seat of the second-row seat is moved frontward, the second seat of the second-row seat shifts toward the vehicle side. Therefore, a wide space can be secured between the second seat of the second-row seat and the driver seat, so that a console box or the like can easily be provided in this space.
To achieve the above object, in the vehicular seat system in accordance with the present invention, the seat storage chamber is provided on the floor in a recessed manner so as to have a shallow step portion at the front part thereof, and a drawer is provided in the step portion so as to be openable freely.
According to the above-described configuration, by opening the drawer away from the step portion of the seat storage chamber, small articles can be stored in the drawer, by which small articles can be prevented from scattering in the luggage room during the running of the vehicle.